Gary Pritchard's diary - and it's them again!
Incredible!
That's the only word I can use to describe the media scrum surrounding the Group G press conference after the draw.
Of course, I'm almost certain that all the journalists present were keen to get a word with John Toshack ... to ask him what he thought of facing Montenegro, Bulgaria, Switzerland and ... oh, yes, England.
There were twice, if not three times, as many journalists crowded around the Group G press conference as there were around any of the other groups.
And when Fabio Capello finally arrived to share his wisdom, the crush around the press pack got worse.
Having known a few minutes before all the English journalists that Wales were in group G, we had managed to get a great spot, right at the front of the mixed zone.
However, as soon as Capello arrived, it all changed.
Suddenly, instead of a great view of the podium and a prime position for asking questions, I had a great view of the BBC reporter's left ear and the ITV reporter's right armpit!
The clamour to hear what the Italian had to say was so great that we actually moved forward five feet!
Anyway, I managed to stick my microphone in the general direction of Signor Capello, and to be fair, he was very complimentary of Wales.
As it turns out, Capello had been on the same flight to Warsaw as John Toshack and the Welsh delegation, and the two of them had been reminiscing - Capello was part of the Italian side which beat Toshack and Wales 4-1 in Rome back in 1969.
He had also spoken with Toshack about the Welsh youngsters and was well aware of the high hopes we have for our young side, but will those hopes be fulfilled in this next campaign?
Toshack never managed to beat England ... or Capello, for that matter ... as a player. Can he manage it as a manager?
Sunday morning 07 February
It's freezing cold outside on the streets of Warsaw, but it's hotting up in the press room of Warsaw's Palace of Culture and Science.
A huge queue has formed next to the media accreditation desk as journalists try to claim their seats for the hall where the draw will take place and several queue-jumping squabbles have been entertaining to say the least!
A special prize must be given, however, to the Turkish radio station who have rigged a microphone next to the press room television in order to broadcast the draw live to their listeners.
Who needs to go to the bother of securing the rights, anyway?!
Saturday 06 February (more ..)
One amusing highlight of the Michel Platini's press conference was his refusal to give a straight answer to any questions about John Terry ... despite the best efforts of the English based media.
On being asked his third question about the dismissal of the English captain, which brought a huge sigh from the journalists of the other 52 Uefa nations, the Uefa president gave a frank answer.
"I am not bothered," he said, bluntly.
"It's your problem, in England," he added "What would you like me to say? We are here to speak about Euro qualification. Capello will do what he feels he must do."
I'm sure I almost heard a ripple of applause from the Italian journalists sat beside me!
Saturday 06 February
Having left home at 2 o'clock in the morning and after beating the fog, ice and snow in order to reach Warsaw, I have finally found the nice, warm media room!
Having jumped through several hoops I finally got hold of my press accreditation for the big ceremony which will be held at lunch time tomorrow.
The draw for the Euro 2012 qualifying groups is taking place at the Place of Culture and Science in Poland's capital city.
But it's not the ice and snow nor the hoop-jumping which has caused a stir amongst Europe's football journalists this afternoon.
Uefa have announced that neither Azerbaijan and Armenia nor Russia and Georgia can be placed in the same qualifying group.
Azerbaijan and Armenia have been at war with each other regarding the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh which lies within Azerbaijan but has been under the control of Armenian forces since 1994.
The neighbours were drawn in the same qualifying group for Euro 2008, but neither match was played as the countries could not agree to a location nor a date for either match.
And Uefa president, Michel Platini, was keen to avoid a similar situation arising again.
“The committee have come to their decision (about keeping the countries apart) as we do not want to see sport and politics mix,” he said in a press conference on Saturday evening.
And a brief conflict broke out between Russia and Georgia with regards to South Ossetia and Abkhazia in 2008.
Platini said the decision to keep the countries apart had been made after discussions with the various associations.
Of course, there is no truth in the rumour that Wales' First Minister, Carwyn Jones, tried declaring war with each of Uefa's top seeded nations on hearing the news!!
© 2010 S4C
O Gymru / Made in Wales
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